Nasal expander



(No Model.)

W. A; DAYTON.

NASAL EXPANDER mum/r09 M y Arrows/5Y3.

TVILLIAM A. DAYTON, OF NORTH TARRYTOWN, ASSIGNOR TO DANIEL OULHANE, OF BROOKLYN, NEW YORK.

NASAL EXPANDER.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 513,458, dated January 28, 1894.

Application filed August 25, 1892.

To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, WILLIAM A. DAYTON, of North Tarrytown, in the county of Westchester and State of New York, have invented a new and Improved Nasal Expander, of which the following is a full, clear,and exact description.

My invention relates to improvements in 1tgieyices which are adapted to expand the nos- This invention is based on the theory that all inspiration through the mouth is abnormal and that it is essential to good health that a person should breathe through the nose. In some cases either as the result of disuse or of nasal disease, the muscular action in the nasal w ngs is very much lessened so that the nostrlls are liable to collapse and thus prevent a free passage of air through the nose to the lungs.

The object of this invention is to produce aslmple, delicate, light and inexpensive devlce, which may be applied to the nose without inconvenience and which when applied will be almost unobservable and will hold the nostrils open, but with a spring action so as to permit natural vibrations of the membrane of the walls of the nostrils and eventually re-establish proper muscular action.

The device is adapted also to obviate the necessity of respirators, and by acting to hold the nostrils openit provides very nicely for /prolonged medication in addition to serving its main purpose of holding the nostrils normally open with a very slight yielding resistance against the membrane of the walls of the nostrils, and thus, while holding the nostrils open to substantially their normal capacity, allowing the membrane thereof to vibrate naturally, as necessity requires.

To this end my invention consists in a nasal expander, the construction of which will be hereinafter described and claimed.

Reference is to be had to the accompanying drawings, forming a part of this specification, in which similar numerals of reference indicate corresponding parts in all the views.

Figure 1, is a side elevation of a nose in which the expander is inserted, the expander being indicated by dotted lines. Fig. 2, is a front elevation in dotted lines of the expander Serial No. 444,035. (No model.)

showing the same as applied to anose. Fig. 3, is a front perspective View of the expander. Fig. 4, is a detailed view showing the relative positions of two of the spring plates; and Fig.

5, is an enlarged sectional detail view of one shaped loops 11, 12 and 13, which are connected at the top, the loops 11 and 13 being exactly similar in size and the middle loop 12 being somewhat deeper so as to fit around the septum or central cartilage of the nose, and permit the upper ends of the loops to extend well up into the nostrils. On the upper ends of the loops 11 and 13 are concaved elliptical plates 14. which are arranged with their concaved portion opposite each other, so that the convex portion of the plates will press against the walls of the nose, and as best shown in Figs. 2 and 3, these plates are arranged in pairs, there being a pair for each nostril. The outer plates are preferably arranged a little above theinner plates, so that they will extend a little farther into the nostrils and thus press out with a yielding force the flexible walls thereof. The tension of the spring wire composing the loops which enter the nostrils is such as to normally force the spring plates of each loop apart, and thus expand the nostrils, but while this is so, the bearing plates farthest from the septum of the nose, by being on the longer springltmbs of the yokes,(which limbs are farthest from the septum of the nose,) are free, to a proper extent, to follow the vibrations of the membrane of the nostrils, and thus is avoided any injurious rigid pressure upon said membrane.

When the device is to be used, the plates 14 are thrust upward into the nostrils so that the lower portion of the middle loop 12 will fit snugly against the cartilage of the nose, and when in this position the device is scarcely noticeable, and as it is very small itis not inconvenient.

It will be readily understood that .as the plates are normally pressed apart they will hold the nostrils wide open with a delicate,

. would be very uncomfortable to the user and,

doubtless, would very soon be discarded; but all this is avoided by making the yokes capable of yielding in conformity with the natural vibrations of the membrane of the nostrils, whilethey subserve the purpose of holding the-nostrilsnormally open; furthermore, the arrangement of the bearing plates at different altitudes on the long and short limbs of the yokes, adapts the expander very perfectly to the form of the inner surfaces of the inner and outer walls of the nostril, and, at the same time, a greater length of spring action in the limbs carrying the plates which bear against the inner surfaces of the outer walls of the nostrils is afforded; and this is important, as the motions of the membrane are mainly against the plates on the longer limbs.

Having thus described my invention, I U

claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent- A nasal expander comprising a pair of U shaped spring loops having limbs of appropriate lengths with bearing plates at their free ends, which fit the inner surfaces of the walls of the nostrils, and a middle loop connecting the loops first mentioned and adapted V to fit and straddle the septum or cartilage of the nose, substantially as described.

WILLIAM A. DAYTON.

Witnesses:

J. L. MOAULIFFE, C. SEDGWICK. 

